After years of planning and months of intense public controversy, the reconstructed Audubon Park golf course reopens this week.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Ron Forman, chief executive of the Audubon Nature Institute, are among those scheduled to play a round today on the completely redesigned 4,000-yard, par-62 course.

After two days of invitation-only rounds and a day for final preparations, the $6 million course will open to the public on Thursday. A trailer located north of Magazine Street will be used as a temporary clubhouse until the controversial permanent clubhouse is ready in early 2003.

The new course is expected to average about 100 rounds per day, slightly more than the old course, but to bring in nearly three times as much revenue. Dale Stastny, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the institute, said the course will bring in about $1 million annually from greens fees, cart rentals, pro shop sales and food service at the clubhouse.

Critical approach

Some Uptown residents' objections to the rebuilding of the 104-year-old course inspired last year's formation of Save Audubon Park, an organization that continues to oppose many of the Audubon Nature Institute's and Audubon Commission's plans.

The nonprofit institute operates the park, Audubon Zoo, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and other facilities for the commission, which is a city agency.

Although the new course is complete, Save Audubon Park filed an appeal last week in Civil District Court of the Board of Zoning Adjustments' recent vote upholding city officials' decision to issue a building permit for the clubhouse.

The group's attorney, Keith Hardie Jr., said the amount of food service planned for the 7,800-square-foot clubhouse is so extensive that the building would amount to a restaurant, which is not permitted in Audubon Park outside the zoo.

Forman and other Audubon officials have dismissed the critics as a small group of complainers who speak for no one but themselves.

"Our goal was to create an excellent course to delight golfers and non-golfers alike. This new course does that and more," Forman said. "It's just a jewel of a course, and we're proud to share it with the people of our area."

Playful greens

A golf course was not part of designer John Charles Olmsted's original vision of Audubon Park, but public pressure led to a course opening in 1898.

Park officials began planning several years ago to redesign the course, which was outmoded in several ways.

It needed improved drainage and irrigation systems. Also, it was no longer considered safe. With golfers generally stronger and clubs and balls much improved from 100 years ago, balls were flying farther, increasing the chance that an errant shot would injure someone.

The old 5,500-yard, par-68 layout crammed 18 holes into 81 acres, less than half the area of many regulation courses. Denis Griffiths and Associates of Braselton, Ga., a prominent golf-course architectural firm, designed the new, much shorter course with 12 par-3 holes, four par-4s and two par-5s and more buffer areas between holes.

The reconstruction was scheduled to begin in 1999 but was delayed after Audubon officials realized the cost would be far more than the $3.5 million they had budgeted.

Mayor Marc Morial's administration agreed to include $2 million for the park in a $150 million capital improvements program that Orleans Parish voters approved in 2000. With that money added to $3 million from the state and $1 million that Audubon raised privately, the course was closed in mid-2001 and renovation began.

The new course, built by Bilberry Golf Inc. of Houston, features four new lagoons and more variations in contour than the old one. Underground pipes connect the lagoons to the park's main lagoon. The entire course will drain into the new lagoons, and the dirt dug up to create them was used to form the new contours. A pumping system will help regulate the water level in the old and new lagoons.

The project's budget included $3 million for rebuilding the course, $1.5 million for the clubhouse, $750,000 for landscaping and trees, $500,000 for design fees and $250,000 for the lagoons' pumping system.

Par for beauty

Stastny said he thinks visitors will be impressed by the course's beauty.

"It's extraordinarily beautiful with gorgeous views of the course, the trees, Loyola University and Holy Name of Jesus Church" on St. Charles Avenue, he said.

The result is "entirely consistent with John Charles Olmsted's concept of vistas of contours, oak trees and the skies when the park was originally designed."

Stastny said about 80 trees, including three or four small live oaks, were removed during the project, but more than 100 others were planted. The new course is exactly the same size as the old one, not counting the clubhouse, he said.

The new clubhouse is being built at the site of the park's former conservatory, which was demolished last fall. It and the new golf cart rental shed are on the edge of the park's main grove of oak trees but did not require the removal of any old trees, Stastny said.

"The large live oaks are all intact and will end up healthier than they have ever been," he said.

The old clubhouse was a privately owned building just outside the park's boundary on Walnut Street. Its former parking lot, just inside the park, was torn up and will be planted with grass.

Park officials initially planned to close Hurst Walk, a pedestrian pathway cutting across the course, a decision that prompted criticism from Save Audubon Park. Officials decided to keep the path open after the Legislature passed a law absolving Audubon of liability if anyone is struck by a golf ball or cart while using the path.

The course will be open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk, except on Tuesdays when it will open at noon. Greens fees are $18 on weekdays and $25 on weekends, plus sales tax. Carts rent for $20, plus tax.

For reservations, call 212-5290.